| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati / House of Representatives |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
9 March 2013 |
| Purpose of elections |
The Malta Labour Party (MLP), led by Mr. Joseph Muscat, won 39 seats (see note), defeating Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's Nationalist Party (PN) which took 30. The MLP had last led the country from 1996 to 1998.
During the election campaign, the PN, which had otherwise governed without interruption since 1987, ran on the government's record, stating that it had managed to avert the economic turmoil affecting other euro zone countries in the Mediterranean. The MLP promised to reduce electricity prices by 25% and to tackle corruption.
Note:
The statutory number of seats in the House of Representatives is 65. Four additional seats were granted to the PN in accordance with article 52 (1) of the Constitution, so that the number of seats it held would be proportional to the number of first-count votes it won in the elections. One more seat was created for the Speaker, who was elected from outside parliament, making the total number of seats in the new parliament to be 70.
(http://www.parlament.mt/constituion-of-malta) |
Date of previous elections: 8 March 2008
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 7 January 2013
Timing of election:Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: March 2018
Number of seats at stake: 65 (full renewal)
Number of parties contesting the election: 3
Number of parties winning seats: 2
Alternation of power: Yes
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Malta Labour Party (MLP)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 6 April 2013
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Angelo Farrugia*
*The Speaker was designated from outside parliament. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 9 March 2013 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
333'072
309'600 (92.95%)
4'044
305'556 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Malta Labour Party (MLP) |
39
|
|
|
|
|
| Nationalist Party (PN) |
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
60
10
14.29%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on the distribution of seats according to sex:
The distribution of seats according to sex includes 65 directly elected members, four additional members elected in accordance with the Constitution and the Speaker, who himself was designated from outside parliament.
Note on the number of members:
In the March 2013 elections, 65 members were directly elected. Four additional members were elected in accordance with the Constitution (bonus seats). The Speaker was designated from outside parliament. There were 70 members in all.
Shortly after the elections, the opposition Nationalist Party (PN) filed a court case, arguing there were mistakes in the vote-counting process. On 25 November 2016, the Constitutional Court granted two extra seats to the PN. The following day, two male members were sworn in, bringing the total number of members to 72 (including the Speaker). As at 23 February 2017, there were nine women out of 72 members.
Sources:
House of Representatives (10.04.2013, 01.01.2015, 01.01.2017, 23.02.2017)
http://www.electoral.gov.mt |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
